MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins are closing the upper deck at Sun Life Stadium.

The Marlins rank last among the 30 major league clubs in home attendance, and the team no longer sees a need to sell seats in the second level of the football stadium they call home. Florida plans to move into a baseball-only ballpark in downtown Miami next year.

Upper-deck seats may be made available for certain games, including the Sept. 28 home finale. Team officials say the move will cut operational costs, plus create a better atmosphere by having more fans in the lower level near the field.

Tickets for the upper deck were only available for Marlins home games on Fridays and Saturdays, which means the move will affect no more than eight remaining contests this season.